quintet
Americannoun
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any set or group of five persons or things.
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an organized group of five singers or players.
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a musical composition scored for five voices or instruments.
noun
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a group of five singers or instrumentalists or a piece of music composed for such a group
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any group of five
Etymology
Origin of quintet
1805–15; < French quintette < Italian quintetto, diminutive of quinto fifth < Latin quīntus
Explanation
When five people do something together, you can refer to them as a quintet. If only there were that fifth Beatle, then they would have been considered a quintet. Sigh. The most common kind of quintet is a five-person musical group. A string quintet might be made up of two violinists, a viola player, and two cellists, while your cousin's a cappella quintet will have five harmonizing singers. If you can usually be found hanging out with your four best friends, people might call the five of you a quintet. The original meaning was "musical composition for five voices," from the Latin quintus, "the fifth."and quinque, "five."
Vocabulary lists containing quintet
Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 26–April 1, 2022
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pent (5), quin (5), hex (6), sept (7), oct (8), dec (10)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hours before a concert in Charleston, S.C., in 2023, Henry Threadgill asked the members of his Zooid quintet to put down their instruments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
To refer to the Manhattanite rock quintet as third best in any context feels like music sacrilege.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Senators from both parties entered in procession behind Tim Scott, Graham's fellow South Carolina Republican, as a US Army brass quintet played "Amazing Grace" and "America the Beautiful."
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
With that, he led a quintet through the music of “Members, Don’t Git Weary,” a 1968 gem within Roach’s catalog, interpreting its six tracks more along lines of harmonic and emotional content than song form.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Newsome Park was a natural place for the quintet to land, its endless city-within-a-city blocks a ready-made brew of neighbors, social organizations, and advice for newcomers.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
